By Deborah Larsen
William Emanuel Condon
William Emanuel Condon was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 16, 1919, the son of Emanuel and Antigoni Maidonis Condon. He was known to his friends and family as Billy. His family moved to Michigan when Billy was a baby and settled in Avon Township about 1925.
Billy worked for Fleet Carrier Corporation in Pontiac before the war. He was inducted into the U.S. Army in March 1941 and had several stateside assignments before being sent overseas in early 1944. In Europe, Billy was part of the 82nd Airborne Division’s glider infantry.
Billy was shot down over Holland with the glider infantry on September 23, 1944. His unit was participating in Operation Market Garden, an Allied offensive designed to create an invasion route into northern Germany. Billy was captured by German forces and placed in a prisoner of war camp, but was able to write home to his parents in Rochester in October 1944.
On May 18, 1945, Billy’s parents were notified by the Red Cross that their son had been released.
After the war, Billy married and went to work for General Motors Truck & Bus, from which he retired after 35 years of service.
William Emanuel Condon died at the age of 84 on March 30, 2004, and was laid to rest at White Chapel Memorial Cemetery in Troy, Michigan.